Al Qaeda claims killing of 11 Algerian policemen

Published July 1st, 2010 - 12:53 GMT

A security source in northern Mali said on Thursday that al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed the attack which killed 11 Algerian security members.

A security source in northern Mali said on Thursday that al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed the attack which killed 11 Algerian security members at dawn on Wednesday. The deaths were reported following an ambush on the border between Mali and Algeria.

The source, who requested anonymity, said that "Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb claimed the killing of at least 11 Algerian policemen, in a written statement delivered at the border between Mali and Algeria," The source added al-Qaeda said its members launched the attack "in order to stress its determination to fight the Algerian regime and would continue until victory."

The Algerian media conveyed the policemen were killed in an ambush on their convoy in Tensautin area about 2,000 kilometers to the south of Algiers, as they were in SUVs. The attackers destroyed the vehicles and seized the policemen's weapons.

There was no official confirmation from Algeria about the deadliest attack in the country in the past year.